Friday, May 22, 2009

Kris Allen: "I have a feeling it was close"

From the moment Kris Allen spoke his first words on today’s media conference call, it was obvious he was exhausted. In fact, it was a complete contrast to the downright bouncy sound in Adam Lambert’s voice.

But considering the schedule Kris has been working under, I think it’s completely forgivable…

And maybe that’s why the reporters on the line seemed to give Kris such an easy time today…

Here’s a sample of what he had to say…

On the performance with Queen: “We had met Queen the night before. It was really, really great. We went through it twice I think. It was the best moment of the year for me. It was just an exhale of everything. It felt great.”

On how he and his wife will handle his new fame: “It’s definitely a topic of conversation all the time. We’ve been getting ourselves ready for everything. We’re really strong, so everything’s going to be fine.”

On why he said Adam deserved it Wednesday night: “I still feel that way. Adam deserved it just as much as I did. He was the most consistent all year. He’s one of the most gifted performers I’ve ever met. I think it could have gone either way. America could not have gotten it wrong.”

On what he learned from his “Idol” experience: “The harder you work for the thing that you love the most, the more likely it is to come true.”

On the vote margin between him and Adam: “I haven’t heard anything. I have a feeling it was close. Adam was a huge frontrunner most of the season.”

On what kind of music he’d like to have for his album: “I felt like I did exactly what I would want to do on the show. ‘Ain’t No Sunshine,’ stuff that kind of has that feel…We’ll see.” When a reporter asked about collaborating with Kara, Kris responded, “It was really fun working with her on the single.”

His message to his fans: “The fans are the reason that we’re here. Thank you, I would not be here without you. I’m stoked and I hope that I don’t let you down with the CD. I know it’s going to be great.”

On how his style has changed: “I’ve always done music the same way. This has been a growing experience. My music is gonna be better than it ever was before. This show gets you ready.”

On “No Boundaries”: “The song is hard to sing. I don’t think me or Adam were happy with our performances. The judges were trying not to judge us on that and judge us on the whole season…I sang it that morning and it was fine. Both of us just got tired. There were some sound issues where we couldn’t hear ourselves…It was a rough night there at the end…The track actually sounds really good. The song is good. There are some stipulations on what they have to do with these songs…To have your first single be something you weren’t involved in is a little weird.”

Kris added that when he performs the song live, he’ll probably do it acoustic with the guitar or just a piano.”

On the future for his wife: “I don’t want her to just follow me around. She has things that she’s passionate about.” Kris said later that she was “passionate about acting. I know she wants to start some foundations and stuff like that.”

When a reporter asked if she will sing with him he responded, “She will tell you she is the worst singer in the world.”

On whether his wife was mad when Simon said Kris brought her out too early: “No, not at all. She had been saying that kind of thing before.”

Kris said that right now he and his wife are “trying to spend any kind of alone time together we can do.”

On what songs he’ll do on the tour: “I’m gonna keep that a surprise. It’s really going to be a blast.”

On his laid back nature on the show: It’s kind of the way I live my life. I’m laid back and low key and every now and then I stick my head out.”

On whether he’d add country to his album after his duet with Keith Urban: “I was actually afraid of that [performance]. It’s not the feeling I’d want in my album. But I think he’s great.”

On his first audition: “My very first audition was really scary. I could not talk, and we were waiting for like 14 hours. I was really impressed that they put me through on that performance.”

On his ultimate goal: “I want to be respected in the music industry and my music be respected.”

On writing music: “I’ve been writing for about six years or so. I love writing music. It’s the way I express how I feel. I’m not a man of many words.”

On whether he can handle what’s in store for him: “I’ve been getting ready for this all my life. I think everything’s going to be great and I’m really excited.”

On having 15-20,000 people in Conway for his homecoming: “It was overwhelming. I didn’t know how to feel. I was completely shocked. Arkansas gets behind something they believe in and they believed in me.”

His final thoughts to the reporters on the call: “Thank you for asking questions and wanting to know more about me. I appreciate you guys as much as anybody else.”